LOCAL RULES

Nova Scotia incident report requirements

Your Nova Scotia incident report has 5 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • Notice to the Director within 24 hours of a serious injury
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Nova Scotia's Occupational Health and Safety Act, section 63, sets which workplace accidents are reported to the Director and how fast: deaths immediately, serious injuries and serious incidents within 24 hours. Here is each rule with a link to the official text, and how notes become a Nova Scotia incident report.

Last reviewed October 12, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Incident reportNOVA SCOTIA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 140 words

Company: Northgate Fabrication
Site: 1840 Industrial Pkwy, shipping dock 2
Date: 10/08/2026, about 2:15pm
Injured: Luis Romero, material handler, warehouse crew
Supervisor: Tom Reilly
...
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5 Nova Scotia rules on your checklist, including notice to the Director within 24 hours of a serious injury.

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  • Nova Scotia lawNotice to the Director under OHS Act s. 63
  • NeededType of incident
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Company or organizationNorthgate Fabrication
Site address or location1840 Industrial Pkwy, shipping dock 2
Date of the incidentOct 8, 2026
Person injured or involvedLuis Romero, material handler, warehouse crew
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What Nova Scotia requires

  • The employer notifies the Director as soon as possible, and within 24 hours, after a fire, flood or accident at the workplace that causes an employee unconsciousness; a fracture of the skull, spine, pelvis, arm, leg, ankle, wrist or a major part of the hand or foot; the loss or amputation of a leg, arm, hand, foot, finger or toe; a third degree burn; loss of sight in one or both eyes; asphyxiation or poisoning; any injury requiring admission to hospital; or any life-endangering injury, unless the injury can be treated by immediate first aid or medical treatment and the person can return to work the following dayOccupational Health and Safety Act, S.N.S. 1996, c. 7, s. 63 (1) (a) ยท Nova Scotia OHS Bulletin, Spring 2017 amendments
  • The employer notifies the Director as soon as possible, and within 24 hours, after an accidental explosion, a major structural failure or collapse of a building or other structure, a major release of a hazardous substance, or a fall from a work area where fall protection is required by the regulations, whether or not anyone is injuredOHS Act, s. 63 (1) (b)
  • The employer notifies the Director immediately when a person is killed from any cause, or injured from any cause in a manner likely to prove fatal, at the workplaceOHS Act, s. 63 (1) (c)
  • When notice goes to the Director, the employer also notifies the joint occupational health and safety committee or representative at the workplace, if any; a true copy of the employer's notice of accident to the Workers' Compensation Board, delivered in time, counts as notice to the DirectorOHS Act, s. 63 (2), (3)
  • Except as an officer directs, no one disturbs the scene of a reportable accident except as necessary to attend to persons injured or killed, prevent further injuries, or protect endangered property; anyone present or with information provides it to an officer on requestOHS Act, ss. 64, 65
  • The province's Safety Branch takes calls toll-free at 1-800-9LABOUR (1-800-952-2687), 24 hours a day, 7 days a weekGovernment of Nova Scotia, Workplace and technical safety information services

Deaths: immediately

When anyone is killed at the workplace, or injured in a way likely to prove fatal, the employer notifies the Director immediately. The province's Safety Branch takes calls at 1-800-9LABOUR (1-800-952-2687) at any hour.

Serious injuries and serious incidents: within 24 hours

A fire, flood or accident that leaves an employee unconscious, with a fractured skull, spine, pelvis, arm, leg, ankle, wrist or a major part of the hand or foot, an amputation including a finger or toe, a third degree burn, loss of sight, asphyxiation or poisoning, a hospital admission or a life-endangering injury is reported within 24 hours, unless first aid or medical treatment lets the worker return the next day.

An accidental explosion, a major structural failure or collapse, a major release of a hazardous substance, or a fall from a work area where fall protection is required is reported within 24 hours even if no one is hurt.

Committee, scene and information

Whenever the Director is notified, the joint occupational health and safety committee or representative is told too. A copy of the notice of accident to the Workers' Compensation Board can serve as the notice if it arrives in time. The scene stays as it is except to help the injured, prevent more injuries or protect property, and anyone with information gives it to an officer who asks.

From notes to a Nova Scotia incident report

Note what happened, how badly anyone was hurt, and who you told. ReportDraft marks which notice section 63 calls for, records when the Director and the committee were notified, and lists the fixes as corrective actions.

Common mistakes

  • Not reporting a fall from a height where fall protection was required because no one was hurt.
  • Treating a finger amputation or a wrist fracture as minor.
  • Notifying the Director but not the joint committee or representative.
  • Cleaning up the scene before an officer allows it.
  • Waiting more than 24 hours after a hospital admission.

Sources

Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Next review due January 12, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.